While more advanced stages of carpal tunnel may require more aggressive treatment, perhaps surgery, most cases can be treated naturally.

Reduce or eliminate foods that cause inflammation

I’ve been saying for more than a decade that if we, as a species, can eliminate three food items, majority of human diseases will simply go away. Here we go one more time: Stay away from Sugar, Wheat, and Dairies(including yogurt if your inflammation is severe).

Decrease repetitive movements on the wrist

Avoid lifting and holding heavy objects, or take breaks as often as you can.

Reduce computer keyboard activities

Use soft rolls or towel under the forearms to reduce the pressure on the wrist.

Non-Common-Sense Version

Take Blackstrap Molasses

A few tablespoons of blackstrap molasses per day will do a wonder in reducing pain and numbness on the wrist. This nutritionally “sweet” syrup contains a number of nutrients that restore wrist function including magnesium, calcium, and Vit B.

2. Vit B Complex

Many individuals with carpal tunnel have been found to be deficient of certain B vitamins. Taking a Vit B complexes can help restore normal nerve function in your wrist and even reverse nerve damage.

3. Castor Oil Pack

Castor Oil is a powerful natural remedy in reducing inflammations anywhere in our body. It has been proven to be very effective in restoring wrist movement and functions, while lessen the severity of numbness and pain. Apply liberally to your wrist at least once a day with a hot damp towel wrapped around the wrist and hand.

Apply Acupressure on the Four Acupuncture Points

Large Intestine 4-—Located in the muscle belly between the thumb and the first finger. Use the opposite thumb and index or middle finger to perform a slow, sustained pinching motions to the muscle belly. Hold the pressure gently but firmly for 1-3 minutes.

Large Intestine 5—Located on the lateral side of the wrist slightly backwards (posteriorly) between the base of the thumb and the head of the radius bone. Use your opposite thumb, index or middle finger to apply gentle pressure to this area for 1-3 minutes.

Lung-8 (Lu-8)

Located on the lateral side of the wrist slightly forwards (anteriorly on the palm side of the hand) between the base of the thumb and the head of the radius bone. Use your opposite thumb, index or middle finger to apply gentle pressure to this area. Hold gentle but firm pressure for 1-3 minutes. You should feel a decrease in hand numbness while applying the pressure.

Pericardium 7 (Pc-7)

Located in the middle of the palm side of the wrist, at the wrist fold lines between the flexor tendons. Use your opposite thumb, index or middle finger to apply gentle pressure to this area. Hold gentle but firm pressure for 1-3 minutes. You will feel a slight decrease in hand numbness while applying the pressure.

If none of these work and you still experience unbearable pain, it’s time to make an appointment with an acupuncturist or a physical therapist.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is caused by compression of the median nerve as it passes through the carpal tunnel of the wrist. This tunnel or passageway allows tendons, blood vessels and nerves to pass from the forearm to the hand.

The median nerve can become compressed within the tunnel for various reasonssuch as a wrist fracture or dislocation, chronic shoulder pain shooting down toward the arms and hands, fluid retention, and other inflammatory conditions. Other things that may contribute to carpal tunnel syndrome are working with vibrating tools, prolonged or repetitive flexing of the wrist, and even typing on computer keyboard or using a computer mouse.

Excess inflammation around the carpal tunnel causes a build-up of pressure inside the tunnel, which in turn will cause a blockage of blood flow and nerve signalling from the forearm to the hand. Decreased blood flow results in the sensation of numbness, tingling, weakness and even swelling.

Lately, I have treated unusually high number people suffering from of Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Although there’s no direct link between cold weather and carpal tunnel syndrome that I know of, excessive pressure on the shoulders and neck during cold winter days may exacerbate the conditions. Do you suffer from pain, numbness and tingling in your hands? Is that numbness and tingling on the palm side of your hand, extending into the thumb, index finger, middle finger and half of the ring finger? If this sounds like the symptoms you have, you may be suffering from Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

Self-acupressure on 4 different acupuncture points can dramatically reduce the level of inflammation and pain. In addition, there are a few more excellent tips to help you in dealing with the nagging wrist/hand pain.

The good news is that you don’t need to know exactly where the muscles are or what their names are. Wherever it hurts and feels tense around the suboccipital area, apply gentle but firm pressure, two or three minutes at one place, then move to the next tender spot.

Personally, I start with the mid-centerline right underneath the occiput, using my middle finger on both sides, tilting the head slightly backward. Very often, I am startled to find out how much of tension there is on that point. About two minutes will do the job.

Then, I move my fingers downward, slightly outside of the mid-centerline. I stay at tender spots for about two minutes.

The next step is go to wherever there is tenderness in the whole region. Since I am well aware of major acupuncture points in the area, I go through several points such as:

Gallbladder 20: Headache; visual dizziness; pain and stiffness of the neck; painful reddening of the eyes; deep-source nasal congestion; pain in the shoulder and back; heat diseases; common cold; epilepsy.

Some people use tennis ball, massage instruments, and/or some other apparatus. I’ve found that nothing works better, faster than your own fingers. If you have bad arthritis on the fingers, use some towel, roll it up tightly, and lay on top of it, placing the towel right under the occiput.

It usually takes 10 minutes to release the tension in the suboccipital area. You will be amazed at how wonderful you will feel if you practice these self-acupressure on yourself. Not only your tension and headaches will be minimized, you will feel much clearer in your thinking, even feel peaceful. If you have tendency to have “excessive nervous talking, mania, and/or hysteria,” this self massage will certainly help a great deal.

The suboccipital muscles are a group of four muscles located on each side of the back of the neck just below the base of the skull. The muscles connect the skull with the top two vertebrae of the neck. Located right underneath the occipital bone (the pronounced protrusion of the back of the head), there are four paired muscles as shown in the picture.

These muscles are designed to sit right on top of the cervical spine, however, most of us tend to lean forward habitually. Texting, using computers, or even when we eat, we place our ears way forward than our shoulders. As a result, these suboccipital muscles tend to get stretched too much on one wide, crunched up, and stiffened over time. Misalignment of the suboccipital muscles becomes a prime cause of head and neck tension and shoulder aches. Prolonged neck tension may permeate toward the frontal area, causing temple and frontal headaches, and may interfere with the blood flow to the eyes, resulting in painful & burning eye syndromes.

Over the course of years of treating human body, I’ve found close to 100% of people over the age of 35 have very stiff neck. Stiff and rigid neck often accompany migraines, shoulder pain, frontal sinus headaches, and eye pain. It’s hard to believe, but stiff neck is also directly associated with the lower back and sacrum pain. There’s an easy way to deal with these issues: self-massage the suboccipital muscles, behind your head.

To deal with leg cramps that do not respond well to those lighter version remedies, here are a few things you can try.

Soak your feet in hot water mixed with epsom salt for 20 minutes. Fill hot (lukewarm rarely works) water in a basin big enough to hold both feet, then add ½ cup of epsom salt. Water level has to be high enough to cover the ankles. Put your feet into the basin, regardless how hot the water initially feels. With heat, all six meridians running on your feet– kidneys, liver, spleen, stomach, gallbladder, and bladder–start to open up and Qi and blood flow into the areas of blockage. Chinese medicine regards every single disorder, including leg cramps, as stagnation of Qi and blood flow. Approximately 20 minutes later, you will feel warm and tingly sensation in the lower half of the body.

(Note: Our feet have the most and largest pores of the body, therefore with salt will not only draws toxins out of the body, the body absorbs the magnesium in epsom salts. This method effectively deals with chronic arthritis in the feet and ankles, plantar fasciitis, achilles heel tendonitis, and even toenail fungus infections.)

After the foot bath, make a fist and rub on the center of the soles.

3. Press and knead on the following points: Taixi (KD3), Kun Lun (BL60), Cheng Shan (BL57), Yang Ling Quan(GB 34), Zu San Li (ST36). Use the thumb to knead forcefully on each point for 30 seconds.

Squeeze and roll the calf muscles with both hands, begin at the ankle and move gradually upwards, for 2 minutes.

The above is suggested to be a routine before sleep. You can try one or more of the above remedies to find out to which protocols your body reacts most favorably. In a few days, most of your leg cramps will be eliminated.